David s stewart



D.'S. STEWART.v

ROAD SHIPPING DEVICE FORTBACTOR WHEELS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3.1919.

1,323,654. Patented Dec. 2,1919.

WITNESS INVENTOR fmnmavs 7 a most ready attachment and nfmrsn eras-as rnrniwr orrrcn DAVID S. STEWART, OF APPLETON, VISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 ANTIGO TRACTGR 00., OF

ANTIGO, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONEIN.

ROAD-GRIPPING nnvrcn Fen rnncron-wnnnnsg Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

Application filed. February 3, 1819. Serial No. 274,682.

To all whom it marl concern:

Be it known that I, DAv1n S. STEWART, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Appleton, in the county of Outagamie and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road- Gripping Devices for Tractor-Wheels; and I do hereby declare that the followmg 18 a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in gripping devices for wheels having transversely flat tread portions such as are found on tractors, my device bein of that general type embodied in Patent 3T0. 1,282,866 issued July 10, 1917 and comprising chain sections loosely held to the tread of the wheel by members engaged with the side portions of the wheelin a manner permitting shifting movement circumferentially of the wheel upon propulsion of the vehicle whereby to dislodge mud or snow whlch would otherwise tend to accumulate and pack about the gripping projections in such manner as to retard the operation.

It is in general the object of my invention to improve the structure of this type of device in such manner as to eiiect a maxnnuni gripping action with a minimum number of attaching parts, and in a manner permitting detachment of the device when desired.

A further object resides in the provision of a device of this character having its chain stretches s0 arranged as to procure an equal distribution of operating stresses on clon-- tiguous connecting members. I

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, which will be apparent as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter more particularly described and defined by the appended claims.

' In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan viewof my improved gripping device applied to a tractor wheel. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view showing the means for connecting the chain stretches of the device together, the plane of this figure being indicated bythe line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1, showing the means for attaching the chain stretches to the wheel rim.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, 5 designates the treadportion of a tractor or similar wheel, said tread portion being transversely flat and having side edge portions adapted to be engaged by attaching members A forming part of my device, said attaching members in the present instance comprising plates, each bent to provide a hook bill portion 6 e'ngageable with the inner face of the tread and connected by a bight 7 which engages the edge of the tread, with a shank 8 which carries an outstanding button or head 9 adapted for hook engagement with any selected link of chain sections constituting the gr pping means of my device.

it provide a pair of chain stretches B and C, these chain stretches being preferably formed by a single chain length having elongated similar links and having its ends connected in any suitable manner (not shown), and in the application of my device I connect the chain stretches together at spaced intervals by members D, each of said members D being formed from a strip of metal bent to provide an open loop adapted to receive adjacent sides of the chain links. The attaching members A have their head ortions 9 engaged with the chain links mldway between the connecting members D, and fasten said link to the side edge portions of the wheel tread, thus disposing the chain stretches B and O in zigzag sections extending circum ferentially of the wheel tread, the connecting members of the stretches being held substantially centrally of the wheel tread, and it is noted that the angularity of the chain stretch sections is determined by the length of the chain stretch portions between the connecting members D, to thus provide for a most ciiicicnt gripping action in connection with the travel conditions involved. A connecting member D, similar to the connecting membersD is used for securing the ends of the chain stretches together on the wheel, said member being engaged in terminal connecting links 10 arranged transversely of the wheel tread.

An exceedingly simple structure is thus provided which affords a maximum gripping action and which may be most readily applied to or removed from the wheel tread, it being noted that when the device is in use, the gripping stresses are distril'uited equally on the adjacent attaching members A.

What is claimed is: V 1. The combination with a Wheel rim, of

a pair of chain stretches arranged circumferentially on the Wheel rim, means connecting spaced portions of said stretches together at substantially the central portlon of the rim, and means for connecting portions of 'saidstretches between said connecting means With the edge portions of the Wheel to dispose said stretches in zigzag sections extending circumferentially of the Wheel.

2. A gripping device for heel rims comprising chain stretches formed of elongated t links, open loops adapted to receive adja- In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto sfet my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

. DAVID s. STEWART; 

